Fiery crash claims 4 lives in Sedalia Four people from Sedalia were killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash just before 6:30 Sunday morning.  The Missouri Highway Patrol reports a 2007 Audi driven by Dmitriy Banakh, 25, became fully engulfed in flames after it ran off Route B, struck a ditch and hit a tree.  Police say Banakh and his three occupants, Angelika Franchuk, 19; Anna Morgunenko, 16; and Daniel Morgunenko, 20, were pronounced dead ...

Camden County ID's two found dead The Camden County Sheriff's Office has identified the two people found dead in a home in Camdenton Friday. They are identified as 40 year old Robert William Burns and 2 year old Sadie Marie Burns. A news release says a preliminary investigation has revealed no evidence of foul play. The deceased were transported to Southwest Missouri Forensics in Springfield Missouri for autopsy. Final determination regarding cause ...

Missing boy from Pulaski County found safe, kidnapper in custody From the Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long: The search for a missing four year old boy from Pulaski County and his abductor has ended, with both being located in Galion, Ohio early Sunday morning. The child, Lance Webb, Jr., was surrendered to authorities in Galion shortly after midnight by his biological father, and appeared to be in good health. The suspect, Christopher Wetherall, 30, was arrested by ...

Lawmakers want answers on storm response State legislators are planning to question highway officials about the response - or lack of response - as sleet and snow piled on Arkansas roadways and left motorists stranded for hours. Winter weather raked much of Arkansas a week ago and left roads slick statewide, but Interstates 40 and 55 in eastern Arkansas became choked with traffic that was also clogged by a mix of construction ...

Artist's work returning to Springfield for first showing The artwork of a Missouri man who spent much of his life in a mental hospital is returning to Springfield where it was found decades ago in a trash heap. James Edward Deeds, who died in 1987, spent most of his life in a mental hospital in Nevada, Mo., where he also created 283 drawings. The Springfield News-Leader reports (http://sgfnow.co/1cxEMNV ) several of Deeds' drawings were found ...

Arkansas Congressman says "no" vote an accident U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin says his vote against loan guarantees for Ukraine came as a surprise to him because he supports the measure. Griffin was recorded as voting 'no' on Thursday's U.S. House resolution adding Ukraine to the list of countries eligible for loan guarantee assistance. Griffin told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/MX6Wv2 ) that he used his voting card to vote electronically and doesn't know what ...

Arab League, Abbas reject recognizing Israel as 'Jewish state'
The Arab League on Sunday endorsed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's rejection of Israel's demand for recognition as a Jewish state, as U.S.-backed peace talks approach a deadline next month. The United States want Abbas to make the concession as part of efforts to reach a "framework agreement" and extend the talks aimed at settling the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The council of the Arab League confirms its support for the Palestinian leadership in its effort to end the Israeli occupation over Palestinian lands, and emphasizes its rejection of recognizing Israel as a 'Jewish state'," Arab foreign ministers said in a statement in Cairo.

Why Malaysia Airlines jet might have disappeared
NEW YORK (AP) — The most dangerous parts of a flight are takeoff and landing. Rarely do incidents happen when a plane is cruising seven miles (11 kilometers) above the earth.

Reed on a roll, wins a World Golf Championship
DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Patrick Reed felt he belongs among the best in the world. He beat them all Sunday in the Cadillac Championship.

Mexico govt says it's slain capo 'killed' in 2010
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Forensic evidence indicates a man killed in an early morning shootout with marines in western Mexico was a leader of the Knights Templar Cartel who the government reported slain in 2010, Mexican officials said Sunday.

California Democrats, eye on election, adopt activist agenda
By Sharon Bernstein LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Democrats adopted a platform on Sunday calling for an inflation-adjusted minimum wage and an end to solitary confinement in prisons as part of a strongly progressive agenda in a state where the party has gained dominance by moving to the political center. The platform also called for free preschool for all 4-year-olds and legalization of medical marijuana, measures that have drawn skepticism from Governor Jerry Brown, who remains widely popular as he prepares to run for an unprecedented fourth term after yanking his party toward the middle. Brown's governing style, which has placed an emphasis on budget austerity while repairing California's chronic fiscal woes and reviving the state's sagging economy, has at times put him at odds with the liberal wing of his party. "If we don't solve the problem of income inequality we will lose our souls and we will lose our republic." Confident going into the 2014 election season with wide majorities in both houses of the state legislature and control of all statewide elected offices, Democratic leaders at the California party's annual convention hope to see their success pushed eastward in a bid to retake a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.